Tiger On Their Minds

Augusta Can't Stop Him, Who Will?

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods won the 1997 Masters by a record margin with a record score to become the youngest champion in history.

Was it a mirage?

Woods did not threaten in the other three major championships last year and is winless on the PGA Tour since his Western Open victory June 28.

But few are ruling out a repeat at the Masters, which starts today.

``I think this year is much easier because I know how to win here,'' said Woods, who will be trying to join Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) and Nick Faldo (1989- 90) as the only back-to-back winners.

``I think any time you defend, it's easier because you know what it takes. I think as the years go on, it will be even easier because I know the nuances of the golf course more.''

Woods has been watched and scrutinized more than ever this week. He said he finally realized the magnitude of what he accomplished on Monday, when about 1,000 people followed him as he played nine holes.

``Last year I played nine holes in absolute solitude,'' he said.

But that was before Woods turned Augusta into his personal playground, shooting 18-under-par 270 to win by 12 shots over Tom Kite. Woods enters this Masters in bit of a scoring slump after shooting par or higher in his last six rounds, but he still leads the tour in scoring average (69.75). He has three top-five finishes at home and won the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand in January, rallying from eight back to beat two-time U.S. Open champion Ernie Els in a playoff.

``The overall package is better than last year,'' Woods said. ``I've been really close to playing very good golf. You can say that I'm struggling, but I'm not.''

Woods said he has watched a tape of last year's Masters several times to visualize the tempo on his swings and the touch around the greens, where he didn't have a three-putt in 72 holes. Last week, he practiced with Mark O'Meara, John Cook and Australian Stuart Appleby at Isleworth Country Club in Orlando, Fla., where Woods makes his home. While he didn't come close to duplicating the 59 he shot in warmups last year, the expectations and anticipation haven't diminished.

``Tiger is the one name everyone will be looking at [today]. If he plays and putts the way he did last year, we've got a real battle on our hands,'' said Scotland's Colin Montgomerie, arguably the best player in the world not to have won a major.

``I'll be very surprised if he doesn't win,'' said Nicklaus, who predicted last year that Woods would win more Masters than he and Arnold Palmer combined (10). ``If he plays just normal, I think he'll probably win. If he plays poorly, I think he'll still be in contention. If he plays well, I think he'll run away with the tournament.''

Much of Nicklaus' reasoning lies with the course. Though minor changes have been made, the club didn't de-Tigerize the hilly, 6,925-yard layout. It still favors Woods because of how long and high he hits the ball.

Then there is his touch on the greens.

``Tiger Woods did not win this golf tournament last year because he drove every par-4. He won it because he had no three-putts,'' Kite said. ``He won because he never missed a putt inside 10 feet. That's why he won.''

When asked if he thought he could repeat his putting prowess, Woods smiled and said, ``Who knows? Anything is possible on the PGA Tour.''

Ad slogans aside, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Woods being fitted in a 42 long green jacket again Sunday.